Introduction To Environmentally Friendly Horse Management (Nadeau)

My Horse University and eXtension’s HorseQuest welcome you to this live Webcast.

Introduction to Environmentally Friendly

Horse ManagementDr. Jenifer Nadeau

Associate ProfessorEquine Extension SpecialistUniversity of Connecticut

info@myhorseuniversity.com | www.myhorseuniversity.com | 517-353-3123

Meet our presenter:

Dr. Jenifer NadeauUniversity of Connecticut

Dr. Christine SkellyMichigan State University

Question facilitator:

Please note: This presentation is intended for users with high-speed internet connections. Unfortunately, we cannot offer support for dial-up users at this time.

Objectives• Define best management practices.• Describe some objectives of best

management practices.• Describe some best management practices

for pasture.• Describe some best management practices

for rivers and streams.

Objectives• Describe some best management practices

for controlling runoff.• Describe some best management practices

for manure management.• Describe biological control including its pros

and cons.• List sources for further study and information

on this topic.

What is a “Best Management Practice?”

• A proactive way for horse owners to protect the environment

• Used alone or in combination with other practices

Objectives of Best Management Practices• Decrease soil erosion• Protect water quality of

ground and surface water• Scenic landscapes

Types of Best Management Practices• Pasture Management• Manure Management• Water Diversions• Vegetated Buffers

Good Pasture Management• Provides feed/recreation for horses• Reduces movement of soil and manure to

water bodies• Improves property aesthetics

Pasture Planning Considerations• Total number of horses that will use the

pasture• How horses can be grouped/size of group• Desired length of turnout period• Land resources available

Grass Needs• Enough leaf area for sunlight to reach for

photosynthesis• Rest periods to maintain roots and allow

leaves to re-grow• Proper soil pH/fertility to increase grass vigor,

reducing competition from weeds• Protection from hooves when wet or other

vulnerable times

Pasture Management:Pasture as Forage

• 1.5% BW/day through hay or access to pasture

• MINIMUM of 15 lbs of roughage per day

• Eat about 1-1.4 lbs/hr on pasture

• Mature horses need coarse forage (>8” tall) for healthy digestive systems

Pasture Management: Percent of Ration that should be Forage

• Maintenance 100-80% (NRC 100-75%)

• Work: light 80-60% (NRC 100-75%)heavy 50-25% (NRC 60-50%)

Pasture Management:Pasture as Only Forage

• Fat and fiber supplement recommended

• Must have additional P, Se, Zn, Cu and Vitamin A (Hoffman 2001)

Pasture Management:How do I tell what grass I have?

• Need to see seed heads• Know what was planted• Books/websites

Pasture Management:How do I tell what grass I have?

• Books/websites may aid in identification: – Pasture and Range Plants Pub: Fort Hays

University– Forages: An Intro to Grassland Agriculture

Barnes, Miller, Nelson– Plant Image Gallery:

http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/

Pasture Management:How do I know how much fertilizer to apply?

• Get a soil test, available from the cooperative extension service or feed & supply stores

Pasture Management:What do I do about invasive plants?

• Use broadleaf weed killer such as 2,4 D - “Weed Be Gone” before clipping

• Remove weeds before seed heads mature

• Roundup may cause colic in horses • Let it rain after use, then OK to put

horses out but read label to be surehttp://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/romu.htm

Pasture Management:How can I maintain my pastures well?

• Many grasses need 2-6 weeks rest period to regrow roots and shoots

• Most grasses need to rest when they are down to 1 ½ to 2 inches high

• Remove manure or drag before rest periods

Pasture Management:How can I maintain my pastures well?

• Clip pastures before rest periods• Remove weeds before seed

heads mature• Remove mature grass for

uniform re-growth• Add livestock to graze

steep/rocky land where mowing is difficult

Pasture Management:Rotational Grazing

• A system of dividing pastures so that grass can rest when it is only 1 ½ to 2 inches high

• Can use portable or temporary fencing or create a system of paddocks

• Take horses off when grass is too low; put back on pasture when it re-grows to 6-8 incheshigh, only 4 inches for Kentucky bluegrass and white clover pasture

Pasture Management:Sacrifice Areas

• A selected area is sacrificed from the grazing system and is used to confine animals in order to protect pastures from over-use at critical times

• Need to have minimal size, creating a good surface, location near the barn but away from water bodies/runoff, daily manure removal

Pasture Management:Benefits of Well-Planned Sacrifice Areas

• Hoof-friendly surface for better horse health • Reduction of mud and ice • Ease of manure removal/management • Improved aesthetics • Reduction of manure- or soil-laden runoff to water

bodies • Reduction of fly-breeding habitat • Improved pastures utilizing the sacrifice area as a

management tool

Pasture Management:Should I re-seed my pastures?

• If you have nothing but weeds and bare soil – yes!• Otherwise, if grass is present, try using some of

these tips to revive your pasture such as rotation, resting, testing soil pH and fertility and adjusting it as needed

Pasture Management:When do I plant new grass?

• Depends on your area of the country; check with the cooperative extension service

• May plant in spring or fall

Ideas to Improve Your Pasture Management

• Put in a sacrifice area• Improve the footing of your sacrifice area• Divert water away from your sacrifice area• Create/refine a rotational grazing system• Clip the field • Soil test and fertilize only as needed

Watercourse Management:Stream Crossings

• A way for horses to get across stream without causing erosion or stream contamination

• Need to consider stream characteristics, location, purpose, traffic, longevity, cost and design

• Can use culvert or bridge

River and Streambank Management:Vegetated Buffers-What are they?

• Placed between horse-keeping activities and watercourses

• Creates distance to prevent pollutants from going into sensitive areas

• Are vegetated with dense grass, shrubs, trees, to slow the flow of water

Vegetated Buffers: Benefits

• Reduce risk of injury due to mud and ice

• Fewer lost shoes• Improve look of

property

Vegetated Buffers: What do they do?

• Slow runoff to watercourses• Absorb nutrients that would end

up in the surface water• Traps sediments and solids

carried in runoff• Stabilizes streambanks,

shorelines

Vegetated Buffers: What do they do?

• Provides shade for fish, keeping water temperatures cool, oxygen levels high

• Provides food/habitat for wildlife & organisms that fish feed on

Vegetated Buffers: How do I make one?

• Determine desired width – 200 ft from sensitive areas is ideal

• Install or move existing fences to keep horses out of buffer area, and provide water for horses if needed

• Plant grasses or improve those present to get a dense growth, mow twice a year to help keep grass dense and reduce weeds

• If possible, allow a strip of shrubs, trees, grasses to be established

Ideas to Improve Your River/Streambank Management• Keep horses out of water bodies through

fencing• Create a vegetated buffer

Runoff Management: Water Diversions

• Diversion – way to redirect water around an area of concern and outlet to a stable suitable site

• Keep clean water clean• Reduce erosion and mud

Two Types of Water Diversions

• Diversion Ditch or Swale

• Roof Gutters

Diversion Ditch or Swale• Must handle predicted

quantity of water• Constructed across a slope to

intercept runoff and redirect or divert it to another location

• Sized & stabilized depending on velocity, soil type, slope

Roof Gutter• Discharged through

downspout• Divert to dry

well/underground pipe

Runoff Management: Decreasing Soil Erosion

• Need more than 2 acres per horse(if on pasture full time)

• Avoid wet soils• Use sacrifice area

(well drained, no organic matter, minimal size)

Runoff Management:Decreasing Pollution of Water Bodies

• Vegetative buffers along streams

• Divert polluted runoff from sacrifice lots toward level pastures, away from wells/surface water

• Spread manure on pastures in fall

Runoff Management:Decreasing Pollution of Water Bodies

• Use soil test before applying N, P, K, Ca• Keep animal density <1.5 horses/acre to prevent

excessive P levels in soil if using pasture year round• Apply limestone to maintain soil pH>6.0

Manure Management: Location

• Ensure an adequate distance from runoff, slopes, water bodies, wells, property lines – check local zoning ordinances for minimum setbacks

Manure Management: Cover It!

• Cover the manure pile either as simply as using a tarp or creating a roofed structure

• Helps reduce fly breeding• Helps speed up decomposition and reduces

volume of manure on property• Keeps rainwater from washing manure from

pile and contaminating clean areas

Manure Management: Size

• Make sure storage area is big enough for the time period you need to store it

• To calculate, measure your average daily waste (manure and bedding) x number of days between planned removal for composting, disposal, or utilization

Manure Management: Storage Options

• Covered Dumpsters• 3 walled structures with roof

or tarp cover• Covered compost piles• Covered or enclosed truck

bed/manure spreader• Trash cans with lids – if small

Manure Management: What do we do with it all?

• Have a sanitation company haul it away

• Have a local farmer or landscaper remove it, or bring it to them

• Give it to friends, family, neighbors for landscaping

• Manure cooperative• Composting

Manure Management: Benefits of Composting

• Kill parasites/weed seeds in waste• Improves soil quality if applied to

fields• Does not cause nitrogen depletion

caused when un-composted horse waste is spread

• Contains plant nutrients that help plants grow!

Manure Management: Composting Basics

• Needs oxygen – active or passive piles• Maintain temperature at 140 degrees

F• Minimum size is 4x4x4• Can use 3 bin system or windrows• Should be as moist as a wrung out

sponge – can cover or add water as needed

Manure Management: Composting Basics

• C:N ratio – should be 20:1 to 40:1

• Location away from runoff and water bodies

Ideas to Improve Your Manure Management

• Cover your manure with a tarp• Buy a small manure spreader• Build a portable structure over your manure• Move manure further from a water body or well• Divert water away from your manure storage area• Try composting

Biological Control

Why do flies need to complete their life cycles?

• Appropriate breeding materials

• Optimum moisture• Adequate warmth• If eliminate one, prevents

breeding

Integrated Fly Control ProgramMust include:• General farm sanitation (manure & organic

waste management, including weed control)• Moisture control• Judicious use of insecticides• Mechanical and biological control

Definition of Biological Control• Reduction of pest populations by natural

enemies, typically involves active human role

• Biological control agents – predators, parasitoids, pathogens

A Successful Natural Enemy has:• A high reproductive rate• Good searching ability• Host specificity• Adaptability to environmental conditions• Synchronization with its host (pest)

A Successful Natural Enemy has:• Health and robustness • Pre-adaptation• General mobility• Persistence at low prey densities

Predators, parasitoids and pathogens• Predators – mainly free-living species that

consume a large number of prey during their lifetime, ex. lacewing & lady beetles

• Parasitoids – species whose immature stage develops on or within a single insect host, ultimately killing the host – ex. many species of wasps, some flies

Predators, parasitoids and pathogens• Pathogens – disease-causing organisms

including bacteria, fungi and viruses that kill and/or debilitate host and are relatively specific to certain insect groups

Horse Insect Pests• Mainly the house fly and stable fly• Life cycle of fly and parasitoid:

Courtesy of Ciba-Geigy Corporation.

Horse Insect Pests• House and stable flies can be controlled by

parasitoids• Parasitic wasps:

Spalangia endiusSpalangia nigoraeneaSpalangia cameroniSpalangia nigraMuscidifurax raptorMuscidifurax zaraptor

Horse Insect Pests• Pathogen for use in controlling

mosquitoes:Lagenidium giganteum

• Possible future pathogen for use in controlling worms in horses:Duddingtonia flagrans

Pros of Biological Control• Long-term control • Relatively inexpensive• Target specific• Environmentally friendly

Cons of Biological Control• Slow to act • Less effective• Potential non-target effects• Requires appropriate timing• Requires release of correct number of

enemies

How do you use these parasites?• They are shipped as parasitized pupae in sawdust • You place a small handful on “hot spots” –

roughs in pasture, near water troughs, etc.• You dig a ½” hole in ground, drop in a small handful of

the sawdust and pupae, and cover with straw, manure or earth to protect against wind, birds or insecticides

• They travel 30-50 m in search of viable larvae and pupae

When do you use these parasites?• Are house flies and stable flies your major

problems?• Do you have an effective waste management

program?• Can you get the right type of wasps and are they

affordable for you?• Is it the right time of year – April 15 – Sept 30 in

our area?

How much will this cost?• Varies depending on company

and number of horses• For 1 horse, around $155.00 up

to 20 horses for around $400 per shipment

Is it effective?• Estimates of success vary• Hokkanen and Pimental (1984) estimated level of

partial success to be about 14% (1 in 7 attempts), fully successful 5.5% (1 in 18 attempts)

• 2 independent test studies by USDA completely suppressed a population of houseflies w/in 30 d and eliminated stable flies at a poultry house after 98 d

Is it effective?• Multi-year study in cooperation with the

University of California reported a 93% reduction in the population of common biting stable flies

• DeBach and Rosen (1991) estimated level of partial success to be about 40% for 416 insect species, fully successful for 18% (75) of these species

Summary: Biological Control

• Biological control agents can be effective against house and stable flies when used properly

• Biological control agents are cost effective• Biological control methods should be used with other

methods such as waste management, weed control, moisture control, and mechanical control

• More studies are being done, with emerging information in the area of using pathogens, not just parasitoids on horse pests

Websites of Interest• http://www.ct.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/rc&d/

km_heap-program.html• http://www.eXtension.org/horses

Future Webcasts• February 10 – Horse Manure Management

by Dr. Ann Swinker

• March 10 – Horse Pasture Management by Dr. David Freeman

Sources• Joyce Meader, Livestock Extension Educator, UConn• Forages: An Introduction to Grassland Agriculture by

Barnes, Miller, and Nelson• Picture Aids to Grass Identification by Hartwig• Hoffman RM. 2001. Optimal nutrition and

supplementation of horses on pasture. Cornell Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers. 62: 89-99.

SourcesArbico’s Biological Fly Control Program.

Biological Control. http://www.equinescienceupdate.co.uk/worm4.htm

Biological Control of Flies. Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Biological Control of Livestock Pests.http://res2.agr.ca/lethbridge/scitech/kdf/theory.htm

Ciba-Geigy Corporation

Farm & Ranch Equipment - Fly Parasiteshttp://www.buyfarmstuff.com/products/ranch/fn/fly-p1.htm

SourcesFernandez,AS, Hennigsen E, Larsen M, Nansen P, Gronvold J,

Sondergaard J. Equine Veterinary Journal (1999) 31(6): 488-

491.

http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/printflyswt.htm

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/mosqbred.htm

Lysyk, T.J. 1993. Seasonal abundance of stable flies and house

flies (Diptera:Muscidae)in dairies in Alberta, Canada. Journal of

Medical Entomology 30: 888-895. 

SourcesNon-Toxic Solutions for Controlling Manure Flies and

Biting Flies in Stable and Pastures. IPM Laboratories

Weeden, Shelton, Hoffman and Li. Biological Control: A

Guide to Natural Enemies in North America. Cornell

University.

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/info/biocont.html

Upcoming Events at UConn• Connecticut Horse Symposium – March 21/22www.canr.uconn.edu/ansci/equine/horsesymp.htm

• Sigma Alpha Open Horse Show, UConn – April 18

Upcoming Events at UConn• Draft Horse Plow Match, UConn – April TBA• 4-H Mounted Clinic, Hartford Co. Camp – April 18• 4-H Hippology Contest, UConn – April 25• UConn Horse Auction – April 25• Horse Judging Contest, UConn – April 26• Riding Camp Safety Certification Clinic – June 6

Questions?• For questions or more information

about this and other horse-related topics: jenifer.nadeau@uconn.edu

• Website: www.canr.uconn.edu/ansci/equine/extension• The University of Connecticut supports all state and

federal laws that promote equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination. An equal opportunity employer and program provider.

Questions?

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info@myhorseuniversity.com | www.myhorseuniversity.com | 517-353-3123